It was now the next day, bright and early, as Pansy, Daphne and y/n waited for the train to arrive, side by side, leaning against the brick wall, overlooking the empty train tracks. They had already said good bye to their parents.
Students from Hogwarts were starting to arrive and it soon had a good amount of families.
"You know, we really need to study hard this year, we have to make it count." Pansy told them suddenly.
"I agree, we can maybe set up a day every week where we go altogether at the library?" y/n turned to Pansy, who nodded. They turned to Daphne and she was too busy reading a book.
"Daphne, how about it?" Pansy said clicking a finger in front of her face, which snapped her out of it.
"Guys, I'm thankful for magic and all, but why not just marry a rich wizard who is head over heels for you? Pretty easy, if you ask me." She smiled faintly down at her book and then felt pairs of eyes on her, and looked up slowly.
"What?" She said to her two friends who looked at her surprised.
"Daphne.." y/n sighed disappointedly, but Daphne had already gone back to her book. Pansy gave y/n a look.
"We need to help her." Pansy whispered. y/n nodded.
y/n opened her book and started reading. She started it over the holidays and it was really interesting. It was a tragedy, of course, probably the only thing that made her feel something. Sure, a normal love story with hiccups along the way was nice.. or pretty boring.
But a story where two people fought for love and died for each other, seemed better.
This story was about a simple girl, who loved a simple boy, but the love was unrequited, sadly. The girl tries to win him over, wanting to do everything for him, and to her, he seems to end up loving her back, but it is only to toy with her love; ultimately leading to the girls death. And it was all for him.
y/n sighed and closed the book. What an ugly ending. It was frustrating, how something as simple as love could make someone do these things. She furrowed her eyebrows and took deep breaths, watching the fog slowly enter the tall trees in the mountains, also watching the hot breath escape from her mouth as she breathed out.
Draco watched her from a far, on the left of her two friends, leaning against a brick wall, and watched her push off the wall when the train came, and she entered with her friends. So maybe it wasn't the lighting.. or the angle.
She looked really pretty.
Pretty was as far as he was deciding to go. He was not going to call her beautiful. Because.. no. He simply wasn't going to do it, because she wasn't, and he would die before he admitted it. His heart tightened when he'd seen her. What did that even mean? It felt so weird, in a bad way, and a good one.
Draco didn't know that his parents were smiling to each other. More like Narcissa kept smiling up at Lucius. She held onto Lucius' sleeve tightly and shook him around in happiness, while he just stood there taking it. Why had he told his wife again?
Draco turned to his parents suddenly and Narcissa quickly stopped, standing tall. He gave them a weird look. Draco wore a simple grey jumper and jeans, and he had let his hair grow out, it curled behind his ears, much like how it was last spring. Narcissa had just wanted to pinch his cheeks at how cute her son looked.
There was still a big crowd boarding the train so Draco stood by his parents while they started talking quietly to each other, hands in his pockets.
Blaise and Theo had poked their heads out the window of the train when his parents weren't looking.
"Aye! Over here!" Theo whisper shouted. "Psttt!"
Draco turned around, and smiled when he saw his friends.
"Oi! Need your mummy any longer?" Blaise whisper shouted. The two boys laughed as Draco's smile disappeared into a sneer.
"Blaise, what's your middle name again?" Draco smirked. Blaise's laughs immediately died down and Theo laughed.
"Alright stop laughing." Blaise said to Theo, slapping him upside the head as they put their heads back in the train.
Draco shook his head smiling, and turned back to his parents who had just about stopped their conversation after a few seconds.
"Well, I'll miss you. Be good." Lucius gave him an awkward smile and patted him on the shoulder.
Draco gave him and his shoulder a weird look. "Yes, thank you father, I'll be good.. I will.. miss you too." He said as he looked at the floor awkwardly then looked to his mother who cleared her throat.
"Come on Draco take your hands out of your pockets and come here." She said opening her arms and Draco smiled, immediately doing what he was told and hugging her tightly. Lucius rolled his eyes. Guess it served him right for treating him horribly. "Mummy's boy." Lucius had muttered. Narcissa was the only one who heard and gave him a look, but Lucius was looking awkwardly away, avoiding her eyes.
"And do me a favour, find yourself someone." His mother told him, rubbing his back. Draco mentally rolled his eyes and glared at his father, who returned it back.
"I'll miss you, mum." He said into her shoulder, ignoring what she said. They separated and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll miss you too, Draco. I love you." She told him as he kissed her on the cheek. "I love you, bye, mum." Draco said softly, smiling at his mother, who smiled back. He then nodded to his father who nodded back and Draco finally turned away, entering the train.
He almost ran to his usual compartment, pushing past whoever and finally arrived, slamming the door open, startling his friends who's faces immediately lit up. They got up immediately and they all hugged each other.
"I missed you all." Theo said, hugging tighter.
"Ah Theo, Blaise, my loves, you have no idea how I've missed you." Draco said and they laughed, hugging for a bit more before they separated and Draco closed the door. Draco put his bag away while he felt a pat on his back.
"Ay? Excited for this year? It's our last." Blaise said letting go of Draco's shoulder and they all sat down.
"It won't be anything special, just looking forward to the quidditch games." Draco shrugged still smiling from when he saw his friends.
"Come on, it's our last year, after everything, it won't be normal." Theo rolled his eyes playfully. "And honestly, I'm all for looking for someone, if you know what I mean." Theo said winking, high-fiving Blaise.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Blaise told him as they shook hands.
The train started leaving and they sat down.
Draco rolled his eyes, confusion in his mind. First his father, then his mother, now his friends? Was he the only one who planned to not meet someone.. special? I mean, a girl was the last thing on his mind right now. He hadn't really thought much about it, and to be honest, it seemed scary to him. he didn't really know why.
***
"I'm giving you one last chance kid, get out, this has been our compartment since I was in first year! You were still in your nappies back then!" Pansy shrieked at them pointing a finger through the class. Daphne and y/n just leaned on the other side of the small hallway, looking at her attempt to get themselves a carriage.
"I think they placed a silencing charm." y/n told her from behind.
Pansy turned around and sighed dramatically. "Whatever! We're going to find a better one!" Pansy gave the 5th years in their old carriage one last glare before the three all turned and left to find a carriage.
They walked slowly and peered in the windows of the following carriages discreetly.
"No." Daphne said and they moved onto the next carriage.
"No." She repeated again.
"No way." y/n said, pushing her friends to the next carriage.
"No." Pansy said and they moved forward again, slowing down in front of it. They hadn't had a chance to say yes or no yet as they didn't see inside.
"I'm tired." y/n whined, leaning on the glass and closing her eyes.
"You can sleep when we find a carria-AHH!" Daphne shrieked along with y/n and Pansy. Daphne held onto the door of the carriage they stopped in front of, sliding it open. The train had tipped over, and the two stumbled into the glass. The train was still moving and it was now steady. They regained their footing and breathed in heavily, catching their breaths. y/n put her hand over her heart at the fright.
"Hey? Why'd you open our door?" Blaise asked them looking up from his book, up at Daphne since she was still holding onto it.
"Why do you think? We were about to die!" Daphne sputtered, still shaken up.
"I told you we should have closed the door." Theo exclaimed, not looking up from his book.
"And have us die?" Pansy suddenly spoke up. Theo finally looked up from his book and looked at her plainly. Recognising her voice. "Yeah." He shrugged and went back to his book as Pansy's face went red with anger.
"Now Pansy," y/n smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. Draco suddenly perked up at her voice, looking right at her and the same feeling in his heart happened again, it tightened.
"Listen, no harm done," She told Blaise who was still at the door. "we'll be off-" SLAM-
The train had tilted again, which made the three girls get pushed into the carriage door, all on top of a poor Blaise who groaned and closed his eyes, giving up. The door slammed behind them as the train tilted the other way, and the lights flickered on and off, finally turning off. It was now dimly lit, as the sun set down slowly.
"This is it, I'm dying." Blaise told his friends, trying to reach for Theo and Draco's hand to hold before he passed away.
"Don't be a baby." Daphne muttered as her friends got up. She pushed off of Blaise roughly and got up, brushing herself off and inspecting her nails in the dark. The train still moved, but it seemed to be moving slowly.
"No need to shove." He got up and fixed his jumper.
"Well, get out now." Draco told them and the girls all looked down on him in his seat. Oh yea, he was here too, y/n thought annoyedly. Whatever! She was planning to have a nice year, ignoring him. She scowled at him and then went for the door to try and open it, but it didn't open all the way and it was jammed. Suddenly, she saw something.
"AHH!" y/n exclaimed, walking back suddenly and knocked back into everyone. Daphne luckily caught her.
"What?! What is it?!" Pansy asked worriedly from behind Daphne. Theo mentally rolled his eyes.
"I don't know, I think I saw something.."
"I think I saw something too." Daphne said.
"I thInk I sAw SomEThIng tOO." Blaise mimmicked her. The guys laughed while the girls stayed silent, looking around for any movement.
"Students! Is anyone hurt?" Professor Flitwick said worriedly outside the door. y/n went to the glass and looked around to where the voice was coming from, then finally looked down and chuckled.
"Sorry sir.." She smiled. "Anyway, no one is hurt, but we were thrown around. Any chance you could unjam the door sir?" y/n asked kindly, pointing at the lock.
"I'm sorry but I have strict orders to not let anyone out of their carriages in case the train moves suddenly again-"
Draco immediately made his way beside y/n, sharing the glass. He put his fist on the glass resting it there. He looked down on him. "-What do you mean sir?" Draco interrupted him, doubtfully.
"I mean, Mr Malfoy," He said slowly, that Draco felt like he was dying from old age. Just speak faster! "..that Headmistress McGonagall has told me to not open any doors, I'm very sorry. I will fix the door, Mr Malfoy, but it will be ceiled shut."
"Open these doors right now, you can't do this! There isn't even any light!" Blaise suddenly said, going to the other side of Draco and pushing him and y/n, to share the glass.
"Mr Zabini, it's almost bed time anyway, why not have a nap to pass the time?"
"What?" Shrieked Daphne. "A nap? A nap!" She said making her way to them and pushed Draco into y/n, making a space for her between him and Blaise. "I can't sleep here! With boys? That's absurd!"
"Please Ms Greengrass, calm down! I'm sure there's enough space for the six of you." The Professor told them. Pansy scoffed at the word 'six'.
Theo made his way to the glass, on y/n's side, pushing her into Draco, which made room for him. They all fought for a space to see through the glass as Theo started talking.
"Sir I just gotta say, does a dwarf have a chance against a normal heighted person, such as myself?" The teacher looked at him in utter disbelief. "Hypothetically.. Hypothetically of course sir." He said, trying to save himself, smiling breathlessly.
"I b-beg your pardon!" Flitwick stuttered angrily.
"Do you not see this sir? We're being rough!" y/n struggled as she pushed between Draco and Theo. "We'll hurt each other!" She finished.
Draco scoffed. "Like you could hurt anyone." He said, elbowing her away. She elbowed him back and they continued pushing each other away.
"You are to stop fighting, and stay in this exact carriage until the end of the trip, and if either of you escape I will know about it." He told them sternly, flicking his wand to close the door, which made the three students at the door bang harder on it, but he simply turned away and ignored their protests, walking to the next carriage. They finally stopped struggling and they walked away from each other.
Blaise smiled sarcastically to himself. "You know, Greengrass, this is all your fault."
"Is not." She retaliated.
"Is too." He told her back.
"Is not."
"Is too."
"Is not! It was just random that we happened to be in front of you carriage while the train tipped over!" She sighed and slumped down in her seat, resting her head against the window.
"Yeah. Maybe it's your fault for not listening to your friend Nott, when he told you to lock the door?" Pansy said crossing her arms and giving a glare to Theo, who returned it back.
"How about we don't worry about it, since we're stuck here and we can't get out either way." y/n said, before anyone else started fighting again. They all looked at her silently, agreeing with her and turned to sit in their seats.
Y/n sat down and sighed, looking in front of her. Draco Malfoy. Great, this was going to be a long ride.